Help me w/delta unifence

[Dan Becthel]

Hello all,
I have been pulling my hair out trying to decide on a new fence for my old unisaw. A friend gave me a used unifence to purchase. I put it on my ts and found that it does not operate smoothly at all. My question to all the unifence experts is that it seems that most of the pressure is on the front foot. I have read that this and the bies should operate very smoothly. Before I purchase this unit would a new front foot and new plastic adjusters solve this problem? I see a wide smooth mark on the top of the saw where the front foot rides. The fence does lock down well but I expected it to slide across the table very smoothly. What am I missing.
Dan

[Dewey Torres]

Well… because of the way it is designed it will never glide like it is on ball bearings and it sounds like that is what you are looking for. Certainly if you notice that the foot is worn, replace it because that is the only place where the fence makes contact with the table so if it is providing resistance, chances are that’s it. I hope you know that when the fence is disengaged it can rack slightly in the rail track. If you move it by putting your hand on or even with the largest part of the fence (with the most mass) it kind of balances it and thus reduces drag. The Bies fence isn’t going to glide like on ball bearings either. All fences have a bit of drag. Try the plastic foot replacement first and see how you like it.

Does the table show wear anywhere other than where the foot is?

Hope this helps.

Dewey

[Dan Becthel]

Dewey,
Thanks for the reply. I just put the fence on and moved it back and forth about a dozen times. There is a shiny line about 1/2 to 3/4" along the ts top at the front foot. As I stated earlier, I have been researching fences and I figured it would the unifence, vego pro 50, or bies. It is so frustrating trying to figure out which fence is right for me without hands on. This is the first fence I have actually tried.

Maybe I am expecting a little too much out of a fence? That is why I am asking these questions. I am hoping everyone's experiences will help me make the right decision. So please chime in with your thoughts.

Dan

[Tom Hargrove]

My advice is to avoid the Unifence altogether. In my experience, they need frequent adjustment, and they limit the type of jig/fixtures that can be used with your saw. A Biesemeyer style fence would be my preference.

At one point in time, the Unifence was the standard by which other fences were measured. This is no longer the case.

[jerry nazard]

Dan,

You just got some excellent advice from Dewey. I'll add that I have worked many years with unifences and really like them. It's a well thought out and constructed device. My suggestion is to study the instruction manual to identify and understand how each part of the fence works and is adjusted. When the fence is finely set up and tuned to your liking, you will have a winner. Not that there is anything wrong with the other fences you mentioned: the unifence is simply a nice piece of work.

Best!

-Jerry

[John Thompson]

Put a piece of Slick Tape (teflon tape with adhesive backing) under the foot and lenght of the rail and then see if it doesn't smooth out. Put one on the back rail also. I would wax the rail as many praise that fence. I run a Biesemeyer on my Uni-saw with the tape on both rails. I also put it on my 18" BS fence rails.

Good luck...

Sarge..

[Al Navas]

Hello all,
I have been pulling my hair out trying to decide on a new fence for my old unisaw. A friend gave me a used unifence to purchase. I put it on my ts and found that it does not operate smoothly at all. My question to all the unifence experts is that it seems that most of the pressure is on the front foot. I have read that this and the bies should operate very smoothly. Before I purchase this unit would a new front foot and new plastic adjusters solve this problem? I see a wide smooth mark on the top of the saw where the front foot rides. The fence does lock down well but I expected it to slide across the table very smoothly. What am I missing.
Dan
Dan,

The Unifence fence guide itself does NOT touch the table surfaces at all. ONLY the fence head does.

What you must do: Loosen the fence guide bolts, and place a 1/8-inch thickness of something, like paper, wood, anything, under the fence guide. THEN tighten the bolts on the head, to keep the guide raised off the table. Always move the entire fence assembly by pushing on the head.
NOW you should have a smooth-riding fence on the saw! If not, something else might be causing the problem...


.

[Jim Becker]

My advice is to avoid the Unifence altogether. In my experience, they need frequent adjustment, and they limit the type of jig/fixtures that can be used with your saw. A Biesemeyer style fence would be my preference.

Well...for the two years I owned a saw with a Uni, I never had to adjust it. Not so with the Biesemeyer style on the subsequent saw. I much preferred the Uni and am so glad that my Euro slider has a similar fence system. Jigging is no longer an issue, either, with the availability of reasonable cost alternative fence faces for the Uni system (for years now), although I will agree that adapting some things to the stock fence face can be more challenging, but not impossible.

To the OP, if the fence is not sliding smoothly, something is either out of line, bent or a fastener might be over tightened. It should slide pretty much as easy as any kind of fence outside of something that rides on ball bearings. There will always be some friction during adjustment with any fence that rests (at the back) on the saw table, even with a high density slippery plastic pad.

[Dan Becthel]

Al.
Thanks to everyone for their responses. I did space the guide rail off the table. It just seems to me that there is a lot of weight on the plastic foot on the table top. It seems that I have to handle the fence with 2 hands:1 hand on the locking handle and 1 hand on the body of the fence head. I guess I have been mesmerized (too much company literature) about the amount of pressure needed to move the fence. I have read here that it only takes 2 fingers to move the fence.

I have not been able to try a bies. I know that there are fans of both styles. I just want to make this a 1 time purchase. So the bottom line is which fence operates better.

Thanks in advance, Dan

[Chris Rosenberger]

I have been using Unifences for about 20 years. It is a very nice fence. I have one on my Powermatic 66. I very seldom have to make adjustments to the fence.
As Al said, the fence rail should not ride on the table. Also if the tension is to tight on the clamp, the fence will not slide smoothly.

[Chris Rosenberger]

Al.
Thanks to everyone for their responses. I did space the guide rail off the table. It just seems to me that there is a lot of weight on the plastic foot on the table top. It seems that I have to handle the fence with 2 hands:1 hand on the locking handle and 1 hand on the body of the fence head. I guess I have been mesmerized (too much company literature) about the amount of pressure needed to move the fence. I have read here that it only takes 2 fingers to move the fence.

I have not been able to try a bies. I know that there are fans of both styles. I just want to make this a 1 time purchase. So the bottom line is which fence operates better.

Thanks in advance, Dan

I have used Biesemeyer fences a vew times & tried them out many times in stores. I cannot remember any of them sliding any better than a Unifence.

[Al Navas]

I have one additional thought:

Make sure the locking handle is perfectly horizontal. Twice or so, I have seen a handle that "droops" a little, and caused the entire fence to feel like it did not want to move.

If the fence still feels hard to move, then I agree with Jim. Something else is wrong, or the handle is partially locked and you cannot see where.


.

[David DeCristoforo]

The Uni-Fence Vs Biesemeyer debate is another one that will never be resolved. It's a matter of personal preference. There are pros and cons on both sides. Biggest "pro" for the Biesemeyer is that it is easier to attach stuff to. Biggest "pro" for the Uni-Fence is that you can move the fence forward and back in relation to the blade and that you can lay the fence "flat"... neither of which can be done with the Bies. I am a Uni-Fence guy but I have used the Biesemeyer as well as several "clones" and they are fine fences. But none of them are completely free of "drag".

[Al Navas]

David,

Drag? What drag???

Just kidding!

One major improvement to the Unifence that is seldom mentioned is the Uni-T-Fence, which allows you to attach ALL SORTS of goodies! Is this link allowed? http://www.ttrackusa.com/unifence.htm and is well worth the $90 for the 43-inch version. It is a direct replacement for the standard Unifence guide, without any need to make any adjustments; even the tape works perfectly! Once installed, I have had little reason to go back to the regular guide.


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[Mike Wilkins]

I retro-fitted a Unifence to my 1964 Rockwell/Delta Unisaw which was the best thing I could have done for it. Check all adjustments on the fence head to make sure nothing is binding. Once set up, I have not had to make any further adjustments, and it is dead-on accurate. If the foot is worn, like the other poster stated, put some Slick Tape on it to aid its slipperyness.

[David DeCristoforo]

"One...improvement...is the Uni-T-Fence..."

Sweet. Thanx for the link. Gotta get me one of those....

[Alan Schaffter]

A Unifence will not glide from one end of the table to the other with just one push, but it slides easily with minimal pressure. If your Unifence doesn't slide easily it is because of one or more of the following:

You are not holding the fence against the rail and are causing it to rack and bind when you move the fence side to side.
Even when unlocked, the locking bar is too tight and rubbing on the back side of the rail slot.
One or both of the big nylon adjusters on the front of the casting have been backed out too far and the casting body is rubbing against the face of the front rail.
One or both of the nylon set screw adjusters on the top of the casting are backed out too far allowing the casting body to rub against the top of the front rail.
The nylon foot at the front of the casting has worn down, mishappen, or is misadjusted. If it is adjust too short or extended too far it will lift the casting tip too high or let it drop too low so the front of the casting and/or casting lock shaft bind against the front rail or rail slot. To adjust this, remove the guide fence. Screw the foot in so it doesn't touch the table. Lock the fence casting, then back out the nylon foot until it just begins to press on the table top and lift the casting tip. (though it is not needed, someone makes an after-market roller wheel replacement for the nylon foot.)
When you install the guide fence, make sure the casting is locked, then make sure the guide fence is not resting on or touching the table when you tighten the locking knobs.

[Alan Schaffter]

One added thought about the guide fence of the Unifence (and the TTracksUSA Uni-T fence)-

Why did Delta and T-TrackUSA make their guide fences rectangular- 3 1/2" high by 2" wide? If the guide fence cross sections were square then you would only need one fiducial mark (cursor) instead of two for horizontal or vertical fence positioning. In the case of the Unifence you could still keep the laminate trimming low profile. How many Unifence owners have used the wrong cursor line when they were in a rush?

[Fred Voorhees]

I had a unifence for well over twelve years and used it extensively and NEVER had a problem with it being out of alignment. I don't remember ever re-aligning it after the original set up either. Sounds as if a slight adjustment is all that you need. The front foot is adjustable.

[Al Navas]

"One...improvement...is the Uni-T-Fence..."

Sweet. Thanx for the link. Gotta get me one of those....

David,

Hard to believe. I thought you had just about everything!!! :eek::D





...How many Unifence owners have used the wrong cursor line when they were in a rush?

Now, Alan, I wish you had not asked THAT question... :(











I would NEVER do anything like that.....













:D












:cool:













:o:o:o:o:o


OK, maybe once, or maybe twice...

[jerry nazard]

"How many Unifence owners have used the wrong cursor line when they were in a rush?"

Alan,

How many Unifence owners have wondered why it's called a "cursor"...@#$%...?

-Jerry

[John Gornall]

To get the Unifence moving smoothly start by removing the fence from the head casting. The fence doesn't contact the saw table or fence rail. Now get the main head casting running smoothly. It contacts the rail in 4 places. There are 2 nylon adjustment screw slides that slide along the top of the rail - they also adjust the fence square to the table. There are 2 bigger nylon adjustment screw slides on the front that slide along the front of the rail - these also adjust the fence parrallel to the miter slots. There should be no metal to metal contact between the head and the rail. There is one slide at the far end of the head casting that runs on the table surface. Make sure all 5 of these slides are clean and smooth, not worn out and have no sawdust embeded in them. Check the metal surfaces that they slide on to be sure they are clean and smooth. I clean all these slides and metal surfaces with a little lite oil. The head casting should now slide as smoothly as it's going to. However there is one last adjustment that can make sliding hard and that's if the 2 adjustments on the front of the rail are too tight. Loosen both of these equally until the head slides and it still locks when you push the handle down. Now put the fence back on being sure it doesn't contact the table surface - I put a rule about 1/16th inch thick under mine when I adjust it. Now use the 2 front adjustment screw slide to align the fence to the miter slot and use the 2 top adjustment screw slides to square the fence to the table. If the head drags on the rail after this back off the 2 front screws equally until smooth - check miter slot alignment again.

I think the idea that it's somehow difficult to add accessories to a Unifence comes from owners with nice shiney new saws that just don't want to drill holes in their new toy. I think it's actually easier to add to a Unifence - just drill a few holes and add anything.

[David DeCristoforo]

"David, Hard to believe. I thought you had just about everything!!!"

Well "just about"... except for one of those.....

[jerry nazard]

I think the idea that it's somehow difficult to add accessories to a Unifence comes from owners with nice shiney new saws that just don't want to drill holes in their new toy. I think it's actually easier to add to a Unifence - just drill a few holes and add anything.

John,

There are also some nifty ideas on this site:
http://benchmark.20m.com/tools/Unisaw/UnisawUnifence/unisaw_unifence.html

-Jerry

[Dewey Torres]

Holy Cow Dan... I bet between the Uni vs. Bies and the myriad of comments, you wish you had never asked.

Welcome to SMC.

Three things you will Love about us:

1) We are friendly (the mods kick the outlaws out)
2) Helpful advise (and lots ...no no ... tons of it)
3) If you strike the right cord you will get LOTS... no no... TONS of responses (you just set the example for #3)

Congrats!

Dewey

[Dan Becthel]

Hello all,
I am so pleased wtih the suggestions I have received. In fact the fence now slides exceptionally well. I also got the fence to .002 alignment with the mitre slot.

I feel that I owe everyone a debt of gratitude for the info and kind
words. The best way to thank everyone I think is to become a
contributing member.:D

This is what I found and adjusted:
1) The fence rail on which the 2 small plastic adjustment screws ride was
slightly gaullled/filled with the plastic from the screws. I cleaned the rail
with acetone and then sanded the line with 800 then 1000 paper. I
then waxed the rail. Smooth as a baby's bottom.
2) The foot that sits on the table top was filled with tiny bits of crap
(metal?). I removed it and sanded it down unitil I had a clean smooth
surface.
3. Per all the wonderful step by step instruction I set the fence up from
scratch (thanks John, Alan, Dewey). I now operates the way I
expected it to.

P.S I paid $200 for the fence and the Delta side table and legs.

[Al Navas]

...In fact the fence now slides exceptionally well. I also got the fence to .002 alignment with the mitre slot...
TERRIFIC, congratulations, and you are show off!!! :D :D :D :cool: :cool: :cool:
(I added the red color added for emphasis...)

Are you able to push it with your pinkie? I bet you can!





... P.S I paid $200 for the fence and the Delta side table and legs.

THAT is one heck of a deal, Dan! Now you can start making some saw dust with that new member of your shop.


.

[John Gornall]

Once you have a good understanding of a Unifence and how it's meant to work and you get it well setup you will enjoy it greatly - it's a very good fence system.

Long ago I worked in a shop and used Unifence - I liked it. I bought a Unifence long before a Unisaw - had it on 3 other saws before I got my Unisaw.

Glad it worked out for you Dan - have fun and be safe.

[Dan Becthel]

[quote=Al Navas;887097]TERRIFIC, congratulations, and you are show off!!! :D :D :D :cool: :cool: :cool:
(I added the red color added for emphasis...)




Are you able to push it with your pinkie? I bet you can!


Welll almost. The placement of the locking handle I found is very important to a smooth sliding fence.





THAT is one heck of a deal, Dan! Now you can start making some saw dust with that new member of your shop.


Isn't that what friends are for? My friend was storing his ts for an extended time. So I hounded him to "borrow" the fence unitil he decided what to do with the saw. If anyone would be interested I am sure I could talk him into selling his unisaw.

[John Gornall]

People are different and people see things differently. I've never used the wrong curser line - the graphics on the plastic are clear to me. But I know others that have this problem - I suggest a little piece of masking tape over the "wrong" curser line. Just move it over if you change orientation of the fence and need to use the other line.

[Richard McComas]

I’ve used a number of unifence’s in my 30 plus working in construction and woodworking both on the job and in the home shop. Never had the problems you’re having. I must say I’m not one who often uses jigs that attach to a table saw fence . I do love the way you can slide the unifence back and forth and I particularly that you can lay the fence in the down position. If you do much Formica work the unifence laid down will virtually eliminate use the router to trim the overhanging laminate edges.